Energy secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has given the green light to EDF's £20bn Sizewell C nuclear plant in Suffolk.
The government has approved a development consent order (DCO) for the new nuclear plant, which is modelled on the same reactor design as EDF's Hinkley Point C scheme in Somerset.
The government had been planning to announce the DCO decision on 8 July; however, it was pushed back following mass resignations of government ministers in the day's prior to the decision by Boris Johnson to step down as prime minister.
The DCO had originally been given a target date of May this year, with the subsequent delays leading to EDF threatening to walk out on the project. The decision, which was reached by the Planning Inspectorate, recommends giving the new plant the green light; however, it notes concerns over water supply strategy and the impact the new plant could have on natural habitats.
The application was submitted to the Planning Inspectorate for consideration by NNB Nuclear Generation (SZC) on 27 May 2020 and accepted for examination on 24 June 2020. The DCO will enter into force on 11 August this year.
In a decision letter published on the Planning Inspectorate portal the secretary of state noted the “urgent” need for new energy production, with the benefits outweighing the potential harms of the project.
In the letter Kwarteng said: “For the UK to meet its energy and climate change objectives, the government believes that there is an urgent need for new electricity generation plant, including new nuclear power. Nuclear power generation is a low carbon, proven technology, which is anticipated to play an increasingly important role as we move to diversify and decarbonise our sources of electricity.”
In June 2020, specialist contractor Structural Soils completed several phases of ground investigation for the proposed Sizewell C.
The firm carried out onshore ground investigation for the main platform for the proposed Sizewell C site, the surrounding site of special scientific interest, the foreshore and the beach.
Intrusive work included in situ piezocone penetration testing, seismic cone penetration testing and vein testing; sonic, rotary, cable and Ménard pressuremeter testing boreholes for geotechnical, geoenvironmental and radiological testing; and hydraulic conductivity testing within boreholes during drilling.
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